The Value of Elderly Caregivers in the Family (Celestine Carver)

Though there are probably thousands of licensed elderly caregivers working around the country today, many more are simply family caregivers who have dedicated their time and abandoned much of their own priorities just so they could take care of their elderly family members. Instead of pursuing their own careers or building their own families, these individuals are sacrificing much for the benefit of their relatives.

Recent surveys have shown that these family caregivers make up a large percentage of the population: 21 percent of the country are actually taking care of their parents, spouses or relatives without any compensation at all. The larger portion of this is made up of women of all ages, but the average age of female caregivers is 40 years old.

Caregiving to the elderly is somewhat similar but really very different from parenting, which is why it's somehow more difficult to provide. The main difference is that with parenting, you look after and raise your children knowing that one day, they'll be able to grow up and take care of themselves, until they can be independent. Caregiving though, has no such anticipation and definite timeline. This kind of long term care can go on for an unknown period of time - and the level of care and assistance you need to provide only gets heavier with time.

Looking after our elderly family members can also be difficult once they suffer from dementia. Taking care of someone who you've known all your life but now does not recognize you all or part of the time could be very difficult for relatives. This is one of the reasons why hiring elderly caregivers can be better for everyone instead.

Patience is a very key attribute that's needed to take care of someone with dementia. Though there are no cures for it right now, experts continue to research for a solution but meanwhile, we will just have to do our best to handle it.

Aside from the emotional aspect of being a family caregiver, there's also the financial side. Most will have to stop working full time so they can take care of a loved one. This is a heavy sacrifice since it's a lot of time where you will not be earning or advancing your career, and you will also have to depend on other sources for your daily expenses. However, certain insurance policies allow beneficiaries to pay their family caregivers an amount from their benefits, which could be very helpful.

Sadly, many still do not purchase such policies and end up burdening their family with their care. Hiring caregivers or staying in a nursing home is much more expensive than they think - and combined with the loss of income of a family caregiver, it means they are losing too much without a policy.

We should acknowledge the real value of elderly caregivers by preparing for our long term care ahead of time. Depending on a family member to take care of you when you get old means asking them to essentially give up their current life so you can get the help you need. By planning ahead, you can ensure that you get taken care of and that they can also continue to live their own life as well.

Elderly caregivers play a very important role in the lives of people who need assistance in their daily living activities and carrying out other tasks.